Holiday houseguest...

The first term of school has ended, with a big party to finish off the last day of school. I had a ball playing games and getting my kids all sugared-up with candy canes before sending them off for their holidays!

Meanwhile, at home... Last minute preparations are in full swing for the upcoming trip for Sri Lanka, for the whole household here! And amidst all this, a new houseguest has recently appeared in our apartment. A small lizard/gecko was discovered this morning and was thusly named "Fred" for the movie 'Drop Dead Fred', which we were watching at the time. Fred was met with a much warmer welcome than our usual houseguests (the cockroaches), and we're hoping that roaches might be in his diet and would be so kind as to help us out with that.

Fred hangin' out

Fred's spot in the kitchen

Wishing a very merry Christmas to you all and a happy 2013! I'll be sure to update with photos and stories of Sri Lanka when I'm back in Kuwait in the new year!

Bahrain adventure...

In the last few weeks, my time has been consumed with the crunch of Report season at work. However, recently, my roommate and I had a the pleasure of a last-minute trip to Bahrain for some much needed visa processing. Bahrain is a rather small Gulf Coast nation about an hour-long flight from Kuwait. I was surprised upon arrival at the temperature in Bahrain. While the weather in Kuwait has cooled down to a “chilly” 20ºC average daytime highs, Bahrain was a noticeable few degrees warmer. 

The other big difference between Kuwait and Bahrain is the fact that you can legally buy alcohol in Bahrain. After 3 months without a pint, Serena and I made a special trip to JJ's Irish Pub for some quality refreshments and a surprise edition of Bahrain Idol karaoke. 

Although my excursion was stretched out to a full work week away, it wasn’t quite a proper holiday as I was writing Reports while I was there. Therefore, it just made me even more excited for my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka for Christmas and New Year!

For now, I’ll leave you with some parting shots from Bahrain. Enjoy!

No matter how many warm and sunny Christmases I have, it still strikes me as odd to see snowmen and palm trees in the same place

My first delicious beer after 3 months in Kuwait! Excitement abounds!

View of the city from my hotel window

I encountered a curious little caged bird on this balcony, who quite accurately mimicked random car noises from the busy street below

The new Bahraini "Coolio", a little Gangsta's Paradise anyone?